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■位於黃竹坑的私家醫院用地面積約為27,500平方米，多個醫療集團已明確表示有興趣入標。 資料圖片
政府13日推出黃竹坑及大埔兩幅土地，供業內競投興建私營醫院，標書列明醫院要符合服務規定，包括至少一半床位供本地居民使用。香港當前面對「雙非」孕婦產子影響本地孕婦使用醫院服務的問題，同時本港居民醫療服務不足的壓力，加上醫療產業發展的需要，興建更多私營醫院勢在必行。政府今次突破既有做法，以有條件方式招標建院，正可應對社會需求。不過，政府亦需留意新建私院收費水平不能過高，港人方可真正受惠。
許多內地孕婦來港產子，除了因為居留權外，另一重要誘因，在於香港的醫療服務達國際水平，醫療技術不但先進，而且醫護人員專業認真，申訴機制完善。是次招標，政府正考慮到不少內地和外國人來港就醫，故此設定的床位佔用條件，也容許在比例50%，又限制產科服務不佔多於20%的病床，鼓勵醫療產業發展多元化，避免私院醫療發展只為產子生意而傾斜。事實上，香港的醫療產業仍有很大的發展空間，醫療產業是六大優勢產業之一，政府推出土地興建私營醫院，是發展醫療產業的可行措施。另外當局強調招標以服務條件為首要考慮，方向正確。
Give priority of use to Hong Kong people while allotting land for private hospitals
The government put two pieces of land in Wong Chuk Hang and Tai Po on tender for bidding by the medical industry on 13 April. The sites will be used for the construction of private hospitals, and the tender document clearly specifies that the hospitals must fulfill certain service requirements including the provision of at least half of their beds for use by local residents. Hong Kong currently faces the problem of local pregnant women being deprived of hospital services by "double not" pregnant women from the mainland. At the same time, there is also mounting pressure of insufficient medical service for local residents. Augmented by the need to develop the medical industry, the construction of more private hospitals is inevitable. This time, the government has departed from its established practice and invited tenders for the construction of hospitals subject to requirements. It is a measure which rightly meets the needs of society. However, the government must watch closely to make sure that the newly built private hospitals will not charge exorbitantly high fees and that the people of Hong Kong can really be benefited.
Besides getting the right of abode for their children, another factor which lures pregnant women from the mainland to come to Hong Kong in large numbers to give birth to their children is the international standard of medical service in Hong Kong. The medical technology here in Hong Kong is very advanced. Not only this, but also the medical staff is professional and responsible, and the local complaint mechanism is sound. In preparing the invitation for tenders, the government has already taken into consideration the fact that many patients from the mainland and overseas will come to Hong Kong for different treatments. Therefore, the government has laid down specifications requiring 50% of the hospital beds be made available to local residents and no more than 20% of hospital beds be used for obstetrics. These requirements encourage the diversified development of the medical industry and prevent private hospitals from inclining towards the business of obstetrics services. In fact, the scope of development of the medical industry in Hong Kong is still very large. As the medical industry is one of the six priority industries, the allotment of land by the government for the construction of private hospitals is a practical way to boost the growth of the industry. In addition, the government is in the right direction by making requirements in service provision a key element in tender assessment. ■Translation by 東明 tungming23@gmail.com
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